Recall of enacted and nonenacted instructions compared: forgetting functions

Summary Three experiments are reported in which under one condition subjects were given instructions to perform a series of acts (SPTs) and to remember the acts performed, and under a second condition were asked to remember the same verbal instructions without being required to perform any acts. Different groups of subjects were tested at different retention intervals. The forgetting curves for the two conditions differ with respect to intercept, but are similar in slope. The similarity in slope for the two conditions is present irrespective of differences in intercept. Several methodological issues are discussed as well as the nature of the relationship between recall of SPTs and verbal instructions.